Liliana's personal blog

I made more doll shoes! Again! Already!

Last night, I made three pairs.

One of baby blue, one dusty pink, and one navy blue.

Only one worked. That's fine though, because I identified WHY they didn't work so now I know what I did wrong.

So here are pictures of the pair that worked:





And so let me explain why the other pairs didn't work:

So the navy blue pair, I accidentally made one of the shoes inside-out because I wasn't paying enough attention to what I was doing, and I only realized that AFTER I had finished the pair, using up all the trim in the process. So, I couldn't redo it. It was even my favourite pair!

And the pink pair? Well I cut them to have a fringe, except, it's impossible to get the shoes ON without all the fringe ending up wedged in so you can't even see it! Other than, of course, the odd tuft here and there making it look like these shoes are in the middle of falling apart.....

But I am not deterred. I shall continue to make doll shoes until I have mastered the craft.

A while back I said that I wanted to learn how to make doll shoes. Well I finally got around to making my first two pairs. I was super bored last night, so I just sat down and made them. It was sorta stressful but also super exhilarating.

I drafted my own pattern (because why not?) and used this tutorial.

First I made a maroon and baby-blue pair, then a cream and blue pair.

They're not perfect but I am very proud of them (these are my very first and second tries, after all).

About two hours ago, I finished summer top four. This one, I have mixed feelings on, and I might end up altering it and taking out the cuffs. I don't really know yet, so we'll see.

Anyways, it's in the gorgeous pink fabric........... about three years ago, I made myself a pleated skirt with this fabric and it was my favourite thing ever until I grew out of it... and then I wore it a lot more... and then I finally had to admit that it was way to small and I needed to give it up. But guess what... I found some more of that fabric, and used it to make this shirt!

I have a few things to share in today's post:

First, I finished another summer top.
Second, do you know how damaging it is to be quarantined like this?
Third, school is officially over! LAU is done for the school year... so it is time for my studies to begin!

Okay, let's go through this a little slower.

School is done... so it's time for my studies to begin in earnest. Mark Twain once said, "I do not allow my schooling to interfere with my education." AMEN! So now that school is out, it is time for me to really dig deep into the classics. I'm so excited! You'll get more book reviews and thoughts-on-books!

And my second thought, quarantine is super damaging to the economy! Do you know how much businesses are struggling to survive? CoViD19 is harsh on people, but our response to it is even harsher on people. Businesses=money=necessities of life. And besides, quarantine does little to 'stop the flow' of any disease, really, because people do have to go outside to get groceries and other necessities. Besides, families exist. You see people everyday (unless you live alone), you breathe the same air they breath, etc.

But enough about all that! Let's get on to the real reason I'm writing this post... Summer Top #3!

It's in a denim-looking cotton, with contrast-piping and ties in the back. It took a long time to work up but it was so worth it!





It's the first time I did piping. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Also, did I mention it ties in the back? That means adjustable waist definition! And I love my close-fitting shirts; tailored-ness is so comfortable, I just can't stand baggy clothes!

And the ironic thing? I am writing this blog post while wearing my VERY BAGGY pajamas. ~frowning~

Guess what I just finished! Okay, maybe it was 36 hours ago... but, you know. A summer top! Oh My Goodness, I'm so proud of it!

It took me about three hours in total to make... one hour to alter my pattern... (I used as my base my blouse pattern that I drafted for my 1950s blouse) an hour and a half to put it all together... and a half hour to do that button loop. Which is kinda ridiculous, but hey, that's the first time I've ever done a button loop before.

In a past post, I mentioned that I made some clothes for my 9 yr old sister's two Springfield dolls, Abby and Mia. Well, I finally got around to sharing pictures of them! Yay me!

I made four shirts (two for each of the dolls) and one skirt (for them to share).

So like I have said before, thanks to quarantine, I do not have very many summer clothes and am in dire need of shorts and short-sleeved tops.

And also like I have said before, I decided to make some short-sleeved tops because I'm sick of waiting for quarantine to end. Also, it'll be something fun to do.

Well, guess what... the first one is done! I am so proud of it!

I had this gorgeous fabric that I'd been holding onto for forever, just waiting for that perfect project... and, well, this project was THE ONE.

I decided to use my dress pattern. Except, since this is a shirt, I drastically shortened the skirt, so now it's a pretty peplum top!

I decided not to do the darts on the front, which I kinda regret, but also kinda don't regret...

But over all, I really like it and am so proud of it!





Also I made a matching scrunchie... because why not? ;0

Not that sewing, crocheting, and all that other awesome stuff is boring, but I feel like it is time to master a new craft.

But what craft?

Perhaps making doll shoes?

Oui, oui!

So I found four cool tutorials on YouTube about making doll shoes, and I'm totally trying it out!

Tutorial for No Sew Janes
Tutorial for Basic Shoes
Tutorial for Ballet Flats
Tutorial for Sandals

So yeah, I'm excited! My first pair are probably going to be horrible, but I'm still pumped! Now Elisabeta will have millions of shoes in addition to millions of pieces of clothing. She's so spoiled...

But it's fine... she's going to boot-camp this year(more about that later! )

I've been sewing wayyyyyy too much. My doll's wardrobe is huge and doesn't fit in its dresser drawer anymore!

But it's all so cute I can't part with any of it!

And I certainly don't want to stop sewing!

Oh and guess what... I'm going to get a serger! Squeeeee!!!!!!!!

And... since shopping in quarantine is super stressful, and I need some summer tops, I'm going to be making myself 3-5 shirts!

And yes, you guys get pictures... when they're done. I'm gonna go cut out the first one right now...

So yesterday, despite this being the week before finals, I decided to binge-sew and make a lot of doll clothes.

It was so fun... and super satisfying because when you are making doll clothes, you can finish them in 15-70 minutes. So much quicker than sewing clothes for myself!





I also made four shirts for my sister's dolls, Abby and Mia. Oh, and a skirt. But I already gave them to her so you don't get a picture. Next time I sew stuff, I'll make sure to take pictures before I give it away.

My charter school requires four leadership credits for graduation. So I've been taking leadership... and really enjoying it. It's been transformational. Now you might be wondering what on earth this has to do with the title of this entry. Well, in the leadership courses, students are required to use the Best Self Journal, which has one set and the achieve 1-3 big goals over the course of thirteen weeks.

For one of my goals (I set two), I decided to design, draft patterns for, and sew two 1950's outfits.

The first step was, of course, finding inspiration. VintageDancer was HUGELY helpful with this. Great historical articles, and images. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in fashion from the 1900s to the 1970s.

So after I gathered all my inspiration (and spend way too much time on the computer), I analyzed my 'data' and figured out WHY I liked each dress/outfit.

After I did that, I sketched a lot of ideas... picked my favourite three (a blouse, a skirt, and a dress), and started drafting patterns.

This was my first time drafting a pattern for a piece of clothing made from woven material (other than my doll...) and so I had a lot of struggles there.

But I finally got the patterns right... went shopping for fabric and other sewing 'notions' (going to JoAnn was the weirdest thing ever thanks to CoViD19 ). The trip was actually pretty stressful... but it went well.

Then I started sewing! Inserting the invisible zipper was a new skill for me, so that was super stressful, but it went well!

Oh, and then I made matching scarves, because in the 1950s, everything a women wore had to match perfectly... dress, shoes, gloves, belt, scarf, underwear... all of it.

And then I got to wear them! And here are some picture of me... because I'm cute and I'm so proud of the two outfits...

So I just finished carving this amazing stamp and I had to share it with you guys!



I love it so much...

Except next time I print it, I'm going to layer on that paint WAY thicker.

Hey guys,

I want to introduce my lovely doll to you! Yes, I am a teenager. But who cares about that… here on my blog, I get to create the rules. So now it’s cool to have a doll when you’re almost fifteen. YAY!!!

Her name is Elisabeta Margaret and her birthday is October 22, because I got her on October 22, 2016. She is an American Girl Doll Truly Me. I had to pay for her with my own money so it took me over a year to get the $100+ needed. She’s a very prized procession.

She likes reading and fashion and reading and hanging out with friends and more reading. Hmm... that's sounding kinda like me...

Here is a picture of her:



Guess what, I sewed those pants and crocheted her shirt. They both turned out very nicely, in my opinion.

And another picture of her (and yes, I made this outfit as well):



Isn’t she darling?

So you have that recipe you want to try out... but then comes the problem of getting permission to use the kitchen.

Well no fear, permission is easy to get if you follow these simple steps:


1- Orchestrate your kitchen use with your parents. In other words, double check that it's okay to use the kitchen.
2- Okay the recipe you're planning on making with your parents.
3- Make sure the recipe you want to make follows all necessary dietary restrictions.
4- Wash the counters you are planning on using before you use them.
5- Make sure the kitchen is clean enough to cook in before you begin.
6- Put ingredients back away as you finish using them.
7- Use minimal dishes for cooking.
8- Keep your mess confined.
9- Don't monopolize the kitchen.
10- Clean up all your mess when you're done. Wash the dishes you've used; wipe down the counters; put everything back away; make the kitchen better than it was when you first started cooking. A great time to do this is while the food is in the oven or on the stove or cooling.
11- Share what you make! Don't monopolize all the goodies.


Getting permission to use the kitchen may not come over night, but if you cook responsibly, it will come. Good luck!

It's really hard to find good healthy deserts that are still satisfying. It's even harder when you're family is dairy-free, and also trying to be processed-sugar free.

But after a lot of search, I found the most amazing, naturally sweetened, dairy free, whole wheat, peanut butter cookies EVER!

And even better, you can eat about 22 of them without feeling sick, if you use a small cookie scoop (1 tsp instead of 1tbsp). I should know; I tried it out.

You can find them at BlessThisMessPlease.

Here is a picture from the last batch I made:


Don't they look delicious?

Oh, and be sure to comment below how these cookies turned out if you decide to try them!